


Work of Samhain

by weatherzane



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Gen, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-01
Updated: 2015-11-01
Packaged: 2018-04-29 07:13:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5119694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weatherzane/pseuds/weatherzane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Witch Direction, in the spirit of Hallowe'en/Samhain. (My tumblr's notafraidof, come say hi!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Work of Samhain

Niall and Harry are absolutely ecstatic. "Come on, Zayn, help us carry pumpkins! They're feckin' heavy, and you haven't helped with anythin' else!" "Lou- _ee_ , I have to use the kitchen for cooking, stop messing with the spices!"

It's October 31st. Samhain starts today. The midpoint between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice. Louis and Liam don't really observe Samhain, or any similar festivals, but since Niall and Harry really throw themselves into the preparations--and Zayn, too, once he warms up to it--they decide not to be total wet blankets.

That doesn't mean they completely cooperate, though.

Harry is busy rolling out dough for a pumpkin-poppy seed cakes, when Louis sidles up beside him, trying to sneak some seeds. Harry slaps his hand away without even looking up. "No eating what I make until tonight."

Louis pouts, but stops when he sees Harry doesn't care. He then leans in close, to where Harry's shoulders bump his chest every time Harry moves. "So, we _have_ left an offering to the Star Goddess in the fireplace, yeah? We've seen for ourselves the wrath she wreaks when we don't leave her offerings."

Harry rolls his eyes, jabs his elbow into Louis' stomach to get him to move. "First, _you're_ in charge of appeasing _your_ Goddess. Second, it was _your_ fault the garden flooded; it wouldn't have if you'd patched the dam like we'd asked." He puts his floury hands on both of Louis' shoulders, turns him around, and pushes him to the back door. "Make yourself useful. Stop bothering me. I need to prepare for Samhain."

Louis huffs. "Oh, Samhain, Samhain, Samhain." But he leaves, letting the screen door slam behind him.

† † † † †

While Harry busies himself in the kitchen, Niall and Zayn lug a pumpkin up to the house from their expansive garden. They set it down a tad harder than "gentle" next to three others, each of them about the same size: Huge.

"There we go," Niall puffs, wiping his forehead with the back of his head. "That should do 'er. One for each cardinal direction."

Zayn squints at the pumpkins. "So are we carvin' them… or burnin' them…?"

Niall's nose scrunches. "Nah, that'd smell terrible. They're offerings. The biggest pumpkins from our patch, we set on each side of the house for Them, to appease 'em and that." Zayn nods absently, and Niall chucks him on the shoulder. "C'mon, let's get a few of the smaller ones. We'll join Harry in the kitchen, make some pumpkin pie!"

"We gonna burn that?"

"Not unless we ignore the timer!"

And they run, giggling, back into the garden.

† † † † †

At sunset, Liam helps Zayn and Niall heave splintered wood into an enormous pile in their front yard. The pile is even bigger than it looks, since it's sitting in a four-foot-deep hole.

Niall sets a bunch of solid, pointed rocks in a circle around all the wood, then strikes a match, tosses it into the middle of the pile.

Harry comes out just as the fire starts truly catching, flames licking against the stones, attempting to spread, as fire always does. The lengthening shadows from the setting sun fight with the flickering firelight, playing an eerie light show on everyone's faces.

Harry joins the other four, and everyone tenses a little, preparing. The first thing they all do at bonfires is burn their offerings. Harry's arms are full, and everyone grabs something to throw on the flames.

Harry goes first; he kisses his bundle of grains, murmurs a prayer to the Goddess, and throws the bundle with both hands. It catches quickly, blackens, curls into itself. Harry presses his palms together, kisses both tips of his forefingers.

Niall's next; he clutches his cup of wine close, says a quick, quiet Irish poem over it--a harsh, skittering, and foreign thing to everyone else. He takes one small sip, and tosses the rest on the fire. It sputters a little, but the strength and size of the fire keeps it blazing. Niall rubs his hands together, licks his lips nervously.

Zayn follows, with three sticks of incense. He takes a moment of reflection, then steps as close as he dares, stretches over the circle of stones to place the incense directly on the closest log. Aromatic smoke wafts over the five of them, and Zayn takes a slow, deep breath as he steps back. His eyes drift over the flames, as if he was miles away.

Louis mutters sourly, "Could've given this to the Star Goddess," but hurriedly splashes his dish of milk on the fire at Harry's glare. The flames actually puff out in one place, but those logs dry out again quickly, and catch again. A faint smell of bad milk stays on those logs, and Harry swears it's because Louis refused to "get into the spirit of things."

Liam's last, and he appears to be the most uncomfortable. He'd grabbed a freshly-baked loaf of bread from Harry, but now seems unsure of what to do. He cuts a glance at Niall, who subtly mimes an underhanded toss toward the bonfire. So Liam steels himself and gently throws the bread. It doesn't catch, really; the flames lick at it until the whole thing is crumpled and black.

They all stand in silence for a minute, listening to the logs popping, slowly dying under the flames. Then Niall breaks the trance. He claps his hands together and says, "Well, lads, I'm more 'n' ready to tuck into that feast we've all prepared!" Louis whoops, Harry claps excitedly, Liam and Zayn smile wide enough to bust. They head inside, Niall and Harry tugging the other three along behind them.

† † † † †

The Samhain feast truly is a _feast_. Their whole dining table is covered in plates, bowls, and jugs. There's almost not even enough room for their own plates, silverware, and glasses.

They spend the next two full hours just passing the food around. Corn, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green-bean casserole, fresh bread, three kinds of meat--Niall had to manage that part, Harry won't touch dead meat--and all of it seasoned with little sprinkles of crushed magical herbs, enhancing their happiness and relaxing their muscles, chasing anxieties away for the moment.

When they start slowing down in the pace of their eating, Niall stands up and stretches, groaning at how full his belly is. He ambles over to get his guitar and Louis' pan flute, which he tosses to Louis. ("Oi," Louis protests. " _I_ don't just toss _your_ instrument about, do I? Watch it. Thin ice, there.") They play a soft duet, the melody reminiscent of a folk lullaby, sweet and slow and sad. Louis' arcing vibrato pairs beautifully with Niall's lilting tenor. Zayn hums a quiet harmony, Harry and Liam pat out a soft rhythm on their thighs. The whole room is filled with warmth and something that cannot quite be called "happiness." Perhaps… solidarity. Perhaps… family.

† † † † †

When the song ends--far sooner than any of them would have liked--Niall takes Louis' pan flute and his guitar back to their comfortable corner, sets them side-by-side. They all have their own bedrooms, but they also have one huge bed in the basement for days like these, where they all feel connected, their stomachs full and their minds syrupy. Niall pushes his forehead into the crook of Harry's neck, Zayn throws a loose arm around Louis' waist, and the five of them pile together on their one big bed, listening to the sounds of owls, crickets, and final sputtering flames leaking in from outside. They can feel their various protectors smiling over them as they drift to sleep.

It is a good Samhain.

**Author's Note:**

> So I think I may revisit this, just because it's so interesting and I did a LOT of research for this.
> 
> So Niall's a Celtic Reconstructionist Paganist, Harry's an Alexandrian Wiccan, Louis is part of the Feri Tradition, Liam subscribes to more of a Septimus Heap/Harry Potter kind of magic, and Zayn is… a bit of an enigma, he seems to just absorb the kind of magic of the boy(s) he's hanging around with.


End file.
